Inflation up, virus down as priorities in US: AP-NORC poll

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By WILL WEISSERT and HANNAH FINGERHUT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Heading into a critical midterm election year, the top political concerns of Americans are shifting in ways that suggest Democrats face considerable challenges to maintaining their control of Congress.

A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that management of the pandemic, once an issue that strongly favored President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats, is beginning to recede in the minds of Americans. COVID-19 is increasingly overshadowed by concerns about the economy and personal finances — particularly inflation — which are topics that could lift Republicans.

Just 37% of Americans name the virus as one of their top five priorities for the government to work on in 2022, compared with 53% who said it was a leading priority at the same time a year ago. The economy outpaced the pandemic in the open-ended question, with 68% of respondents mentioning it in some way as a top 2022 concern. A similar percentage said the same last year, but mentions of inflation are much higher now: 14% this year, compared with less than 1% last year.

Consumer prices jumped 6.8% for the 12 months ending in November, a nearly four-decade high. Meanwhile, roughly twice as many Americans now mention their household finances, namely, the cost of living, as a governmental priority, 24% vs. 12% last year.



FILE - Trucks line up to enter a Port of Oakland shipping terminal on Nov. 10, 2021, in Oakland, Calif. The pandemic has receded as a top priority in many voters’ minds to start 2022, with the economy overshadowing coronavirus concerns and worries about inflation on the rise, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-elections-bb16c5c52e2bf719ec8a0c5415aaf66c

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Inflation is temporary

Unlike the 1970s economy of scarce goods, today we have supply constraints from temporarily diminished manufacture. In other words we have the capacity but it is underutilized as labor is sporadic from the pandemic. That will resolve over 6-9 months. Also consumer demand will slow once they've built out their home gig offices and go local.

[durablend]

2. You do understand

That even if costs of production (/shipping/whatever) go down, they're not going to be passing that along--they're going to pocket it. "Well people are buying so-and-so anyway, why lower the price?"

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Demand will become soft from higher prices, and the end of Stim/UEI checks

Once goods backup on the shelves, sales will be run. Recall GOYA discounts and end-of-aisle displays. It still doesn't move like it always did.

Plus this has been an inflation panic. Home larders are full up.

[apnu]

3. The average American will never know that.

Its too in the weeds for most people. Plus, there is a huge part of the population who lack the skills for a home gig, so they will continue to be left behind and have known they have been left behind for years. The population always blames the sitting President for economic woes, be they real or imagined.

[JohnSJ]

5. Don't they understand that they are related to each other. The pandemic triggers shortages

which triggers inflation

[Alexander Of Assyria]

6. Concern trolling from mass media...a shift of couple of percentages and then it's another

propaganda meme AP can work with to pillar the party that is not pro fascism.

How soon until the backup polling to this on presidential approval rating, also to be of great concern?

[childfreebychoice]

7. In the real world

Friends who get SS, were initially happy about 5.9 increase, now most lower income r angry. Many who qualified for programs to pay their medicare premiums, no longer qualifies...get too much money...even one dollar too much. Others have seen drastic cut in food stamps, right as food prices r skyrocketing, while others saw huge rent increases. Wonder if they will bother to turn up in '22. Not a single friend, working or on SS, gave/gives a rat's rear about infrastructure. Economy, voting rights, and right to choose, topped/top their lists of concerns

[Moebym]

9. Except infrastructure and the economy are intimately linked

Investing in the former benefits the latter in countless ways.

Thus, infrastructure is most definitely worth giving a rat's *** about.

[Moebym]

8. Anecdotal evidence, but during a dentist appointment last November

The TV was turned to a local station, and the dentist who was doing my fillings opined to the tech/hygienist that inflation was not receiving as much attention on the news as it should have been.